Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term condition
that causes your joints to become swollen and tender. It can start
at any age and affects women more often than men. The course of the
disease can change from day to day. Symptoms include pain,
stiffness and joint swelling, especially in the hands, wrists and
feet. Patients often say they have more joint stiffness in the
mornings and can get very tired.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition.
This means the body's immune system attacks the joints
causing pain, stiffness and joint swelling. If this is not
controlled permanent joint damage occurs. In the past 20 years
there have been major advances in the treatment of Rheumatoid
Arthritis. We can now use medications to stop the immune system
from attacking the joints. In many people we can prevent joint
damage and put Rheumatoid Arthritis in remission. These rheumatoid
arthritis medications are called Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic
Drugs (DMARDs).
When Rheumatoid Arthritis is diagnosed it is
very important to start treatment as soon as possible. We know that
some people will need just one rheumatoid arthritis medication
(DMARD) to control their condition. This is called monotherapy.
Others will need more than one rheumatoid arthritis medication
(DMARD) to control their condition. This is called combination
therapy. Your rheumatology team will help guide on the best
medications for your Rheumatoid Arthritis. We see people with
suspected new rheumatoid arthritis urgently in our early
inflammatory arthritis clinic spaces. We have 2 initial treatment
pathways for patients with newly diagnosed rheumatoid
arthritis:
- Early Monotherapy Pathway (EMP)
- Early Combination therapy Pathway (ECP)
If you are felt to be higher risk for developing
joint damage the early combination therapy pathway may be
advised.
Because our immune system is continually
changing it takes time for rheumatoid arthritis (DMARD) medications
to work (often up to 3 months). When rheumatoid arthritis is
diagnosed additional medications are often required e.g.
prednisolone (steroid) to reduce inflammation in the joints whilst
the rheumatoid arthritis (DMARD) medications start to work. We know
that using prednisolone to control inflammation early also helps
prevent joint damage in people with newly diagnosed rheumatoid
arthritis.
Our Rheumatoid Arthritis Pathway has been
designed working with people with rheumatoid arthritis and using
the latest evidence to give the best chance of achieving rheumatoid
arthritis remission. The pathway is designed to ensure you have a
clear treatment plan, information to help manage your rheumatoid
arthritis and support when required from all of the
multidisciplinary rheumatology team including nurses, doctors,
physiotherapists, occupational therapists and podiatrists. We are
also participating in the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis
Audit (NEIA), this allows us to look at the care we provide for
patients with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis and to identify
when there are areas for improvement.
Patients
who have been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis or Axial
Spondyloarthritis, may benefit from the Living With
Arthritis app. This can help you learn about your condition and
manage the effects it has on your life. Please click here for
more information
Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs)
Tips for
self-management of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Online Sources of
information
